The present invention relates to optical scanning systems and more particularly to an optical bar code scanning system which can be mounted in or on a check-out counter in either a vertical or horizontal position for scanning bar code labels on a merchandise article which is moved past a scanning aperture located in the bar code scanner.
In present-day merchandising point-of-sale operations, data pertaining to the purchase of a merchandise item is obtained by reading data encoded indicia or symbols such as a bar code printed on the merchandise item. In order to standardize the bar codes used in various point-of-sale checkout systems, the grocery industry has adapted a uniform product code (UPC) which is in the form of a bar code. Various reading systems have been constructed to read this type of bar code, including hand-held wands which are moved across the bar code and stationary optical reader systems normally located within the checkout counter in which the bar code is read by projecting a plurality of scanning light beams through a window constituting the scanning area of the counter over which the bar code printed on a purchased merchandise item or on a bar code label attached to the merchandise item is moved. This scanning operation is normally part of the process of loading the item in a shopping cart. Previously the bar code label on which the industry has standardized was large enough to allow scanning operations to occur irrespective of the orientation of the bar code label. But recent developments in merchandise packaging have led to the introduction of bar code labels which are long and narrow, requiring that the bar code label be oriented in a predetermined position to allow the scanning apparatus to effectively read the bar code label. Since the merchandise items on which the narrow bar code label has been affixed are small in size, the reading of this type of label has proved troublesome. It would be desirable to have a compact optical scanner for generating a scanning pattern which enables a small size merchandise item having a long and narrow width bar code to be easily scanned. It would further be desirable to have a compact optical scanner which can be rotated between a vertical and a horizontal position allowing merchandise items to be conveniently read by passing the merchandise item either in front of, over, or under the scanning apparatus, thereby increasing the speed of processing the merchandise item through the checkout system.